Australia to play four day match against Kent - ECB announces international dates and venues for 2015 summer

ECB today announced the full international programme for the summer of 2015 which will see England host tours by New Zealand and Australia.

Kent will be part of the 2015 action with the County set to host the touring Australian team in the opening fixture of the tour. The four day match will be played at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, Canterbury, from Thursday 25 June until Sunday 28th June. Commenting on the match Kent Cricket CEO, Jamie Clifford noted that, “the county has a long history of tour matches against Australia dating back to 1882. Many members have vivid memories of Don Bradman playing here in 1948, when 19,000 attended the first day and 23,000 on the second. It will be six years since the Australians last visit to Canterbury, when they played the England Lions in 2009, and we know this is going to be very popular with the Kent public. This is a great announcement at the start of the week when the Kent Spitfires will be playing the current ICC World T20 Champions, Sri Lanka, in a 50 over match on Friday night (16 May).”

Cardiff’s SWALEC stadium will host the opening Investec Ashes Test Match of the five-match series as it did in 2009 when England’s last pair James Anderson and Monty Panesar clung on for a famous draw on the final day of a gripping Ashes encounter.

Lord’s, Edgbaston, Trent Bridge and The Kia Oval will also stage Investec Test Matches as England bid to regain the famous Ashes urn and win a fourth successive home Ashes series following their previous triumphs in 2005, 2009 and 2013.

After the Ashes, England and Australia will do battle again in a NatWest IT20 at Cardiff before the international season reaches its climax in September with The Ageas Bowl, Lord’s, Emirates Old Trafford and Headingley hosting matches in the Royal London One-Day International series.

New Zealand’s tour of England will begin in May with tour matches against Somerset and Worcestershire before the two countries meet in the opening international action of the summer – the 1st Investec Test Match at Lords.

Headingley will stage the second Investec Test Match of the two-match series against the Black Caps before the focus shifts to the Royal London One-Day International series with Edgbaston, The Kia Oval, The Ageas Bowl, Trent Bridge and Emirates Durham ICG all staging ODIs and Emirates Old Trafford hosting a NatWest IT20.

ECB Chief Executive David Collier said: “Next summer promises to be a hugely exciting international season with England’s bid to regain the Ashes set to be one of the major highlights of the sporting year. We’re also delighted to be hosting New Zealand again across all three formats of the international game and would like to thank all those county and international venues who will be hosting our touring teams next year.”